U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) is making it clear that he’s not a fan of the idea of extending the extra subsides for Obamacare, even if it’s just for a couple of years.
President Donald Trump was expected to push a compromise on the Affordable Care Act last week that would have expanded the special tax credits for two years, while also adding other more conservative reforms to the package.
The White House reportedly pulled back on the idea after some Republican backlash.
Moore, who is also a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2026, discussed the issue Wednesday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program.”
“It would depend on what the reforms are,” Moore said. “I would probably never vote for a two-year expansion, extension on subsidies. I probably wouldn’t vote for a one year because that money is just the taxpayers subsidizing the insurance companies. There are other things we can do reform wise, certainly allowing competitive plans across state lines, you know, allowing people to customize their plans, get the government out of it.”
Premiums for many Americans on Obamacare could potentially double if nothing is passed before the end of the year.
Moore believes that instead of just throwing more tax dollars at the problem, there needs to be a more permanent solution to help lower prices in the healthcare market.
“If we do those subsidies, that’s just gonna make the insurance companies wealthier,” he argued. “You’re still not you’re not keeping your doctor, you’re not keeping your plan, and you’re going to have to go prior approval on every surgery, every MRI, everything you want to do.”
The congressman left the door slightly open to voting for a compromise, but admitted it would have to be something that includes meaningful changes.
“So there needs to be some serious reforms,” he said. “And so for me to say I would vote for an extend on subsidies right now, I don’t see it unless the reforms are pretty incredible, and it was a short term fix, just to kind of help through the holidays, get people so we could get a plan that will really, really take care of the American people.”
“And look, the Obamacare is a disaster,” he added. “We know that anytime government gets in these markets, they destroy them, and that’s what has happened with healthcare. It’s some of the worst in the country. We pay the worst in the world, and we pay the most for it. So there’s a lot of work to be done there. Yaffee, I don’t see me vote for the subsidies right now.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
